[lexa1979]

I guess it is American-specific (I'm from Belgium, lived a year in California 25 years ago): sport is one out of hundreds of options you have to take to get a full schedule in school. Everyday is the same day, be it monday or wednesday. You get 5 hours of class - from 8am to 3pm - and they're the same everyday. I don't know where you're from, but in USA (at least where I lived a year), math, geography, biology, chemistry, physics, sport, choir,...all are options. There are only a few mandatory classes: english (obvious), economics, and I forgot the last one I had. The other hours, you go to the class you chose. So, if you're not into academics or art, you choose some sport and it takes almost half of your school schedule. And you get the same high school diploma than someone who took math and chemistry. That's how athletics becomes so important in their schools, but arts can be too, or any subject. In Belgium, our school system went for the "a brain discovers a lot of subjects" teaching style, in US it's more "a brain (or a body) nicely trained on one subject".

update: tried to clarify differences between Belgium / US styles.